"The goal of "Team Vaccinates Teens" is for researchers to
learn what structures are effective for engaging youth in an
extended vaccination program, creating a model that will
eventually allow for delivery of an HIV vaccine once one becomes
available.......it is expected that HIV vaccine trials will be
open to adolescents in approximately two to four years.... Stephen
Lewinstein, part-owner of the Boston Celtics said. "With half of
all diagnosed AIDS patients today under the age of 25, a safe and
effective vaccine is the best way to control the spread of this
deadly disease. Through the combined strengths of those involved
in the 'Team Vaccinates Teen' program, we will ensure that when a
HIV vaccine is approved it will make a significant and direct
impact on infection rates in adolescents."

Barbara Loe Fisher Commentary:

The National Vaccine Information Center has been warning the
public for more than a decade that the long term strategy of those
creating electronic vaccine tracking systems and vaccine mandates
for sexually transmitted diseases like hepatitis B are preparing
for the eventual mandating of HIV vaccine for all children. Now,
the Boston Celtics are partnering with a hospital that wants to
enroll teenagers in its HIV vaccine trials tomorrow by creating an
infrastructure to deliver HPV vaccine to teenagers today.

States like Michigan are already moving to mandate HPV vaccine,
which seeks to prevent infection with a sexually transmitted virus
(HPV) that sometimes leads to cervical cancer in women who do not
get routine pap smears. Most people clear HPV from the body and
there has been a nearly 75 percent drop in cervical cancer cases
in the U.S. since the 1950's when pap smears became a routine part
of physicals for women. Merck's Gardasil vaccine has not been
thoroughly tested for safety (see NVIC's June 27 Gardasil press
release at
www.nvic.org).

Hepatitis B disease is most prevalent among adult IV drug users
and those with multiple sexual partners. When the CDC recommended
in 1991 that all 12 hour old infants in the newborn nursery be
injected with hepatitis B vaccine, there were only a few hundred
cases of hepatitis B reported in children under 14 years old
annually. Seven years after hepatitis B vaccination there are no
detectable antibodies. Hepatitis B vaccination has been associated
with multiple sclerosis, optic neuritis, rheumatoid arthritis,
chronic fatigue syndrome, and other kinds of brain and immune
system dysfunction.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) associated with AIDS is
notoriously unstable and can mutate in individuals who become
infected. Scientists around the world privately express doubts
that an HIV vaccine can be developed that will prevent HIV
infection and also be safe for everyone.

The children of America are being set up to become the human
guinea pigs for testing an HIV vaccine. Will they and their
parents be fully informed about all risks when they are offered up
to the scientists? Every teenager who is injected with HIV vaccine
will test positive for HIV for the rest of his or her life. And
for the rest of their lives they will not know if the part of the
HIV organism that was injected into them will cause serious health
problems.

HIV vaccination, like hepatitis B vaccination mandated for
children in the last decade of the 20th century and like the HPV
vaccine on its way to being mandated for children in the first
decade of the 21st century, will be mandated for children when it
is licensed. And if these children get sick or die after they are
vaccinated, their sickness and death will be written off as a
"coincidence" by those who have forced them to get vaccinated.

The well meaning Boston Celtics have done America a favor by
getting the AIDS vaccine agenda out in the open. Now Americans
must decide what they will do.

The right to informed consent to medical interventions that
can cause injury or death is a human right. No forced vaccination
- not in America.

First Teen Vaccination Delivery Program In The Country Funded By
Boston Celtics

Reflecting a long-standing commitment to the youth in New England,
The Miriam Hospital and Boston Celtics have teamed up to develop
the Boston Celtics "Team Vaccinates Teens" program - the first
program in the country that will test and explore vaccine delivery
strategies to adolescents.

Highly safe and effective vaccines that can prevent Human
Papilloma Virus (HPV) and other sexually transmitted diseases are
only beneficial if they are successfully dispersed to the critical
age group of adolescents. Through a $25,000 grant from The Boston
Celtics Shamrock Foundation, researchers at The Miriam Hospital
will collaborate with organizations distributing the HPV vaccine
to adolescents at high-risk for contracting the disease. The goal
of "Team Vaccinates Teens" is for researchers to learn what
structures are effective for engaging youth in an extended
vaccination program, creating a model that will eventually allow
for delivery of an HIV vaccine once one becomes available.

For more than ten years, The Miriam Hospital has been one of the
30 sites in the world that is researching and testing HIV vaccines
for adults in the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN). It is
expected that HIV vaccine trials will be open to adolescents in
approximately two to four years.

"The goal - which we believe it is achievable - is to license and
deliver an effective HIV vaccine within ten years," said Michelle
Lally, MD, medical director of the HIV vaccine trials at The
Miriam Hospital. "However, if an effective HIV vaccine was
approved tomorrow, we would not be able to successfully administer
it to the youth in New England without a distribution plan in
place. This generous grant allows us to start to test vaccine
modalities among adolescents so when anticipated vaccines become
available, we can efficiently deliver them to high-risk youth."

"The Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation is proud to collaborate
with The Miriam Hospital to create the first program in the nation
to test vaccine delivery methods to high-risk youth," said Stephen
Lewinstein, part-owner of the Boston Celtics. "With half of all
diagnosed AIDS patients today under the age of 25, a safe and
effective vaccine is the best way to control the spread of this
deadly disease. Through the combined strengths of those involved
in the 'Team Vaccinates Teen' program, we will ensure that when a
HIV vaccine is approved it will make a significant and direct
impact on infection rates in adolescents."

Although participation in adult HIV vaccine trials has increased
in recent years, several misconceptions about the trials remain
that researchers expect to hinder adolescent participation. Among
the most popular inaccuracy is that a potential HIV vaccine can
cause a participant to contract the disease, which is impossible.
Since the adolescents targeted in "Team Vaccinates Teens" are also
potential candidates for future HIV vaccine trials, this program
will help researchers move toward implementation of an HIV vaccine
program for high-risk youth that minimizes or eliminates barriers
to participation.

The Miriam Hospital (http://www.miri
amhospital.org/ is a not-for-profit hospital affiliated with
Brown Medical School and a founding member of the Lifespan health
system. Founded in 1926 by the Miriam Hospital Women's
Association, The Miriam offers particular expertise in cardiology;
oncology; and HIV/AIDS treatment, research and prevention.
Nationally recognized as a top hospital in cardiovascular care,
The Miriam is home to the only Women's Cardiac Center in the
region and JCAHO certified Primary Stroke Center. The Miriam
Hospital has been awarded Magnet Recognition for Excellence in
Nursing Services three times and is committed to excellence in
patient care, research and medical education.

NVIC E-News is a free service of the National Vaccine
Information Center and is supported through membership
donations.

NVIC is funded through the financial support of its members and
does not receive any government subsidies. Barbara Loe Fisher,
President and Co- founder.

Learn more about vaccines, diseases and how to protect your
informed consent rights at www.nvic.org

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